The Spaniard, who currently races for Renault, was speaking at a sponsor event for Universia, a subsidiary of the Spanish bank Santander that backs his former McLaren team.

Santander, whose chief Emilio Botin was also present at the event on Tuesday, is expected to leave McLaren to join the livery of Ferrari's cars in 2010.

Asked if he would like to lead Ferrari back to championship-winning form, the 27-year-old told Spain's AS newspaper: "I like winning and having the best car, and Ferrari has proved that it always has one of the best.

"Everyone knows that we (drivers) want to win races and so we want the best car, the best team.

"If you win most of the last ten world titles then you are a team that gives drivers security, which is something that not all teams can do," added Alonso.

He then heralded the prestige of driving for one of the world's most famous names.

"Racing with Ferrari means even more than racing in formula one," said Alonso.  "Any child who plays with a red car knows it is a Ferrari: it means something more.  When you are with Ferrari you will never be forgotten."

May 19 (GMM)  The FIA should weigh considerations about formula one's future rules with the wishes of its existing teams, according to Fernando Alonso.

Speaking at a sponsor event on Tuesday, the Spaniard - whose employer Renault has threatened to quit the sport over the budget cap row - said he has sympathy for the rebel teams' position.

Ferrari, Red Bull and Toyota have also clearly threatened to walk away over the FIA row, and Alonso believes their concerns should be listened to seriously.

"What has made formula one the spectacle it is are the great teams," the 27-year-old told the Spanish newspaper Diario AS.

"For that reason it is not right to leave them to one side in favour of trying to get three new teams to come in," Alonso said.

For fear of more Honda-like departures, Max Mosley is proposing the imposition of low budget caps from next year, while raising the number of vacant two-car teams from 12 to 13.

"In the Premier League it would be unthinkable to have vacancies so there has to be something wrong," the FIA president said.

Alonso, however, believes the fear of turning off F1's existing names should at least be considered over the desire for new, smaller outfits.

"It is not that the big teams don't want them (new teams), but you can't just try everything so they can come in and then lose seven of the teams that made formula one what it is," he said.